Friday, June 27, 2008

The Mysterious Peruvian


So, who is this mysterious Peruvian mentioned by Benjamin Franklin in his 1788 letter to James Bowdoin?:

"A Circumstance observ'd by the Inhabitants of South America
in their last great Earthquake, that Noise coming from a
Place some Degrees north of Lima, and being trac'd by
enquiry quite down to Buenos Ayres, proceeded regularly
from North to South at the rate of Leagues per
minute, as I was inform'd by a very ingenious Peruvian
whom I met with at Paris.

I am ever, my very dear friend, yours most affectionately,

B. FRANKLIN.
"

Is it perhaps Miranda, who already admired him and was called in France Le PĂ©ruvien?

If so, this may be the piece of evidence that I have been seeking of an encounter between Benjamin Franklin and Francisco de Miranda... I am writing a small article on Miranda and the Founding Fathers.

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